Independent Bottler| 7 Releases
Here’s To The Next 50
It only seems like yesterday that Watt Whisky burst onto the scene as a new independent bottler. Frankly, it is difficult to follow all the new start-ups at times as a plethora of bottles appear on the shelves, inboxes and social media. Refreshingly, the Watt’s focused on value and that their whisky is for drinking as seen in their January 2022 outturn. As we descend into 2022 and the burning pit of economic hardship that is accompanied by the sound of tightening of wallets – yes, even Scottish ones can contract to legendary proportions – we’re in for turbulence. So, sit down and strap in for a bumpy ride.
I’m certainly spending less nowadays on whisky. I actually couldn’t tell you the last time I dropped by one of the major online retailers and checked out the new release page. Instead, I’ve been focusing on specific bottlers more so than ever before; the ones that you can trust to provide a worthwhile dram without getting a doing. Less chance purchases on fancifully named and ultimately hollow Scotch Malt Whisky Society releases. Less speculative purchases. Even my go to in Cadenhead’s has taken a bit of a dent, despite being impressed by some single cask picks of late such as that Mannochmore.
Many have been waiting and predicting that the whisky boom is about to pop. I gave up ages ago trying to predict or even care about such an event. But what’s clear is that we’re all going to feel the pinch more than we can recall in recent times. Those charging premium prices may find their cashflow more restrained and independents focused on value will be best suited to buffering any turbulent moments. More than ever before, we’ll be relying on word of mouth and sources that you can trust. For indies as well, there’s the challenge of turning interest into a purchase. The best way to do that is getting samples into the hands of punters, which isn’t always a straightforward option. Failing this, articles such as these are your next best option with a transparent scoring system and summary that gives you the lowdown.
Speaking of numbers, Watt Whisky recently hit the milestone of 50 releases with the Inchfad prompting that magical moment. That’s an apt candidate because more than most independents of late, Watt have been releasing casks from unfashionable distilleries and asking us the question to trust their judgement. For the most part it has paid off. Take a look at the names in this 7th outturn and arguably only the Clynelish (nice to see it actually named for once) could be deemed a reasonably well-known distillery in whisky circles. The rest are relatively unknowns and I find this refreshing in our social media age.
“Our Philosophy is fairly simple – it’s all about the taste. Hence why we’ve chosen a stylised taste bud as our logo. We want to bottle good whisky (and rum) that people will want to drink, at a fair price. In fact, we want to bottle what we like to drink. When we are literally putting our name on the bottle it needs to be something that we really have confidence in.”
Take Inchfad, a distillate from the consistently good Loch Lomond distillery. I recently delved into the various styles of distillate that Loch Lomond produces with Michael Henry, their master blender. The article is SMWS-related but the distillate information is relevant here and helps clear up some of the mystery around Inchfad and provides a reliable source as to the differences. You’ll just need to look under number 135 for the specifics and then return here, thanks.
These bottlings have started to appear at retailers and I believe the Clynelish is proving popular for some unknown reason. The list of retailers that they currently work with is available online.
Review
Auchroisk, 2008, 13yo, finished in a Tawny Port for 6 months, 318 bottles, 54.9% ABV
£68.95 from selected retailers
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
Time to appreciate this overlooked distillery
Nose
Toasted cereals, sawdust, crushed peanuts and toffee. Given time, some creaminess and a well scraped vanilla pod come through. Digestive biscuits, honeyed oats and buffed shoe leather. A milky latte. A splash of water brings out more oils and scuffed leather.
Palate
Really pleasantly oily and robust texture; a strong arrival. Chocolate, nuttiness and faint liquorice. Redberries, slight chew texture as well. Well balanced. Mushrooms, toffee and a rich honey. Slight char on the finish with red apples. Linseed oil, dried fruit and faded clove. Water unlocks a resinous sappy nature reminicient of a good quality maple syrup.
Review
Campbeltown blended malt, 2017, barrel, 150 bottles, 57.1% ABV
£50 from selected Campbeltown retailers
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
Underlines the quality of this distinctive region, even at just 5 years of age
Nose
Crisp green apples freshly washed, cinnamon, fennel and some wine gums. Foam bananas, plenty of vanilla, pine nuts and a little earthiness. White pepper, pear drops, saline and a floral aspect. Time in the glass reveals more fruit sugars.
Palate
Quaffable sums this one up in a nutshell. A blended malt that is affordable as it is drinkable. More apples and an oily texture. A touch of sea salt and a gentle maritime influence. Key Lime pie, olives, citrus, shortbread and a touch of peat. Bang on at just 5 years of age.
Review
Clynelish, 2011, barrel, 210 bottles, 59.5% ABV
£84.95 from selected retailers
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
A fun and lively thing from Brora
Nose
Waxy white chocolate, tablet and citrus elements. It’s a crowd pleaser. Tangerine, lemon oil, vanilla pod and a plastic note that’s fun. Sandal wood, camphor, honey and a little frankincense. Freshly grated nutmeg.
Palate
Caramel, white chocolate and pears poached in vanilla. Cooking apples, some tartness as well before a touch of grapefruit and green mango. Boiled sweets, rock candy, white pepper and more tablet. Water is beneficial on the palate, bringing out more zest.
Review
Dumbarton, 2000, Islay cask finish 9 months, 222 bottles, 57.1% ABV
£78.95 from selected retailers
Score: 5/10
Average in a good way.
TL;DR
A unique experience but not for everyone that’s for sure but I felt somehow compelled
Nose
It’s not what you think it might be, overly grained or heavy on the peat. More of a hybrid in our electronic world. Some mint, mustiness and lightly peated in the background. Foliage, peanuts, saline, peated water. Zesty lime cuts through the experience. Chestnut mushrooms, rapeseed oil.
Palate
Now the peat arrives with cracked black pepper and a sense of decay and stench. Liquorice on the finish. Char, coal dust and old soot that comes crashing down after an overdue chimney clean. Chilli flakes, old crumbling wood, watercress and caramel.
Review
English Whisky Company, 2009, 1st fill barrel, 228 bottles, 57.1% ABV
£86.95 from selected retailers
Score: 5/10
Average in a good way.
TL;DR
Youthful but has presence already and elements to enjoy
Nose
White grapes, green apples, vanilla cream, lime, mustard seeds and dock leaves. Buttery popcorn, honey, apricot stone, new matchsticks, cardboard, builders sand and a little smokiness.
Palate
Robust and uncouth in places. Hemp, smokiness sweetness and residue. Quite pleasant and reminds me of a Cadenhead’s bottling from several years ago. Dirty vanilla, more creaminess and grapefruit.
Review
Highland (Westport), 2005, sherry hogshead, 198 bottles, 57.1% ABV
£87.95 from selected retailers
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
A strong sherry cask dominates but ensures an enjoyable dram
Nose
A fruit slice, Bakewell tart and marzipan. Gingerbread, new tyres, walnuts and Tiger bread. Toasted marshmallows, unwashed carrots, apricot skin and orange segments. Honeycomb, rust and heavy oak.
Palate
Chocolate sponge, hazelnuts, toast, brown sugar, redberries and resin. I keep thinking Black Forest Gateau on the finish with cream and cherries. Toffee, blackcurrant, green tea, buttery as well alongside oak spices and a pleasing level of maltiness.
Review
Inchfad (Loch Lomond), 2017, hogshead, 300 bottles, 58.2% ABV
£59.95 from selected retailers
Score: 6/10
Good Stuff.
TL;DR
Plenty of peat and oiliness in this Islay alternative
Nose
Very clean, Fox’s Glacier mints, apples, fruit sugars and a medicinal aspect. Bacon fat, white ashes, cauliflower and liquorice.
Palate
Very moreish with a medium peat level and lots of oils. Apples, pears, some coastal elements with sea salt and iodine. Tin can, foliage, chilli flakes and aniseed.
The Dregs
Forgive me, as for a while I thought my scoring meter was stuck in 7 mode, refusing to budge elsewhere. A little WD-40 and a Dumbarton, soon changed all that.
We’ll do these in a civilised fashion i.e. the order that they were reviewed. Meaning, first up, is the Auchroisk. A distillery that many of you won’t know too much about. Built for blends, it came to the attention of some early on because of its distinctive presence for a Speysider and was bottled occasionally as a single malt. The finish deployed here is subtle and tremendous. Some, I expect wouldn’t pick out the port cask as we often see these deployed as heavy handed sweeteners by some independent bottlers.
In this bottle, the port cask is more within the mix than kicking down doors or on IG saying hey look at me and my colour. A port finish for those that don’t like such casks. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised and I’d buy this release.
The Campbeltown blend is built on the strong foundations of the region and is a testament to its high quality. An easy purchase it is sadly out of the reach of most of us, so I’d recommend the Thompson Bros. SRV5, as it is similarly satisfying.
Clynelish at such a tender age can be hot and immature. You can check out some of the SMWS releases in recent times for confirmation, but when a good cask is involved then the outcome is totally worthwhile like we have in this case. And yes it’s great to see the name on the label but I’d pay £10-£20 less if it had a cryptic name instead.
What can I add to the Dumbarton? Maybe there’s a reason why a peated cask hasn’t been used with a closed grain distillery before. It is a provoking bottling and something I welcome in an era of rather safe and pleasant whiskies. It forces you to think and really decipher its contents.
The English offering is well made and solid; nothing more and nothing less. A robust experience, I enjoyed it, yet not enough for the suggested price. Things are competitive out there and this doesn’t do enough for me at that level.
The Highland aka Westport - or heck, let’s just call it a Glenmorangie as that’s what it is - we know is an adaptable malt. A good sherry cask here takes the lead and the outcome is a very good sherried dram. More complexity than any sherry-themed releases you will see nowadays. A very good price if this was an official Glenmorangie complete with golfing buggy, or whatever they latch onto their overpriced bottlings these days.
I’ve had some really good Inchfad’s and some that taste like rotting cauliflower in a bucket of rotting veg. Thankfully this one falls in-between both camps. The pricing here is more acceptable and this is just behind the Auchroisk in terms of what I would look to purchase tomorrow.
So, a series of 7’s underlines the very good nature of this outturn. I recently mentioned in a Dramface podcast about importance of those picking the casks to bottle as an indicator of which independents and bottlings were worth following. At the time, I believe my co-presenters took it literally, whereas I was referencing the back catalogue of those picking the casks as a good guide to form. Some examples I mentioned included North Star Sprits, Thompson Bros. and Watt Whisky. These smaller bottlers put their names on the bottles and arguably take more pride than some of the bigger firms. In this outturn, such a sentiment rings truer than a voting booth at Tiverton and Honiton.
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. DM
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